Bowling-game apparatus



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE G. BULFINCH, J 3., OF BROOKLINE, AND FRANCIS V. BULFIN'GH, OF DOVER, MASSACHUSETTS.

BOWLING-GAME ArrARATUs.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV. 11, 1919.

Application filed May 19, 1919. Serial No. 298,021.

at Brookline, county of Norfolk, State of Massachusetts, and FRANCIS V. Bummer-I, residing at Dover, county of Norfolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Bowling-Game Apparatus, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to improvements in game apparatus, and the object thereof is to provide a game comprising a series of pins which may be upset by a projectile striklng the upper end of one or more of said pins,

the pins being so formed and balanced that when struck by the projectile they will be retained in upset position until reset byor for the player.

More specifically the invention comprises an improvement in bowling games andthe object thereof is to provide a parlor device upon which a game similar to bowling may be played and in which any one or all of the ten pins may be upset by a suitable projectile, the score of the game'being the same as that of the usual ten pin bowling game.

A further object of the invention is to provide a compact apparatus of the character described in which a bowling game may be played without danger or injury to surrounding objects by the bouncing of the projectile.

Another object of the invention is to provide a game apparatus upon which'a game may be played analogous to a bowllng game in which one or more of a series of pins may be upset by a projectile, said apparatus also comprising a target having means operable when the-target is struck to upset all of the pins of the series, thereby making a strike.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pivotally supported pinfor a bowling or like game having counterbalancing means whereby the pin may be retained alternatively in playing position or in upset position.

Further objects and features of the invention will more fully appear from the following description and the accompanying drawin s and will be pointed out in the an neXed c aims. V j a Preferred; embodiments of our invention 'wardly and substantially or secured to the are illustrated in the ing in which- Figure 1 is a plan View of a bowling apparatus comprising a series of pivotally supported pins adapted when in playing position to have their upper ends converge upwardly and radially,

accompanying draw- Fig. 2 is a. vertical sectional view on line 22, Fig. 1, showing one of the pins in playing position in vertical axial section, and illustrating in dotted lines the pin in upset position,

Fig. 3 is a View partly in vertical section of a modified form of apparatus comprising a series of pins, as illustrated in Fig. 1 with a central target controlling means adapted to upset all of. said pins when the central target is struck by the projectile.

The 'game apparatus embodying our invention, which is illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings, comprises preferably a box-like container h.ving a bottom 1 and sides 2, 3, 4, 5 which may be of any form, but which is illustrated herein as rectangular, said sides having secured thereto, a suitable support 6 for a series of pins adapted to be upset, the support 6 being spaced apart from the bottom 1 a sufiicient distance to avoid the end of the pin striking the bottom when in upset position. Th'e'support 6 has a central, preferably circular, opening 7 over which the series of pins are supported. The pins 8 preferably are in the form of usual bowling pins and have pivotal supports, preferably located slightly below the center of gravity. Any suitable'means may be provided for thus pivotally supporting them. As illustrated herein the support comprises a wirebracket, the ends 9, 10 of which are anchored in the supporting plate 6. The intermediate portions 11, 12 of'said wire brackets extend upradially toward the center of the opening, and are connected by an integral portion 13 extending through pin and forming a pivotal support forthe pin. Suitable washers 14,

15 may be located upon the portion 13 adjacent thesides of the pin to retain the pin in proper position. The portions 11, 12 of the brackets are desirably so inclined that the base portions of the pins will normally rest upon the support 6, and the upper ends of the pins will converge radially toward the camera-t the central opening 7. The ripper 2 ends, of the pins are'desirably located in s'uchj close proximity thatthe projectile,

which is used in playing the game,cannot pass between them, so that when the projectile is properly thrown it maysimulta-- from one side of the pivotal support to the r other." Any suitable eounterbalaneing'means may be; providedforthistpurpose. A eon;

yenient means, which is disclosed herewith, compr ses a counterwe ght, such as one or lnoreweights or balls 15 i which areloosely contained in achamber 16 in said pin, Whichchamber {desirably may be formed byboring to a desired distance and plugging up the a hole centrally ofthepin from either end end or the hole after the counterweight lei counterweights have been introduced in 1t. It will beobvious, that; when) the counter weights "15 are Within the base portion pf thepins, as illustrated in fulllinesin Fig,

' 2, the pins will begheldin;playing position,

but thatlwhenupset the counterweight or counterweights immediately drop t'ofthe op-r positeen'd of the bore, thereby shiftingthe g center off gravity ,to the, other side of the pivotalsupportl13,thus retaining the'pin in 5 the upset position illustrated in Fig; 2 in i may bedesired, each player taking his turn,-

; 'dotted'lines,

As;;1nany players can the j Preferablyf three balls may employed as in bowling and each playeriallowed' to throw or toss the three balls for a box??,;:unless "all ofthe. pins are: upset with the first ball;

Y which will constitute a strike,or Withthe V first-and second ball,- in which case ther player will count a;spare, thescore of the r Y individualiplayers being-keptasin bowling.

7 By reasonofthe fact that the pins are thus pivotally. supported the bouncing of the f projectilexwill be minimized when it strikes the'upper ends of the pins, and consequently I the'rewill be less danger of breaking the more, the apparatus is-such that the'rballir requiredjtobe tossed} so that it will have a surrounding objects in the room. Further:

1 '2 downward traj ectory and there will lbe less I danger ofginjury to=objeetswithin inggames i i 2 lIh-lligf3 a modifiediformofthe inven in which'the proj'ectile is thrown with force,

tionjfis' shown. In this construction,'as in the construction I illustrated in 1 1, the

w container. of; the apparatus maybe the'same 160' box-like; construction: having abase 1 and sides 2, '3, 5, a-nd' afsupport-Gfor the pins j provided with: a central aperture 7; l The pinsj17 maybe of-a construction similar-to the pins-Sand; may be mounted upon brackets 18 of the same" character as the brackets which support the pins 8. The pin illustratedin'Fig; 3, however, differs from the pin shown in Fig. A in that the pivotal support for the pin is located more nearly the nppe'r or sina'ller end of the pin, and the chamber 19 for the counterweight extends downwardly from the smaller, end of the pin instead of upwardly from the base end of the pin. 'The' chamber 19 also terminates adjacent the axisupon which the pin is pivotedand does not cross the axis. The operation of the counterweight, however, is the same. V e i the construction disclosed in Fig. 3 a central target' 20 is provided, which when struck by the projectile will release a mechanism adapted to upset all ofthe pins simul taneously. Thetarget' 20 is supported upon thegupper end of a post 21 which is pivotally 'mounted at its lower end upon a stud 22 carried by suitable brackets 23 secured to the basel ofthecontainer. A platorm24 preferably of circular form is supported upona pluralityof springs 25 preferab'ly three in number, (although only one is shown) which rest their lower ends upon 'thefbase l and are retained in place by suitbrackets 29 anchored at their lower ends in the platfornr24 adjacent its periphery eX- tending upwardly and outwardly beneath the base portions ofthe respective pins. The

post 2101' the target projects through a centralbpening-BQ in the/platform 24, and said post'isprovided with a latch 31 adapted to engage the platform 24: when said post is in vertical position and the platform depressed thereby servingto lock the platform down andthe upsetting device 29 in inoperative position so that thepins may be set in playingpositionw I \Vhen the la-tform'24 is thuslocked down, the'post 21 eing inposition vertically, the target 20 willbe positioned-in the center of the apparatus.= The pins willthen be set in playing position and the players in playing the game will toss the ball in the man ner abov'edescribed, the object however being mainlyto strike the central target 20 in such a -ma-nner as to-drii e' it laterally. and

by allowingthe platform124 toberaised upwardly by its springs 25, so that the upsetting members 29 will act upon the bases of the pins to upset them and produce a strike. In playing the game, with the apparatus illustrated in ,Fig. 3, of course, the player counts any individual pin or pins which may be struck by the ball, the score being kept in the same manner as that of the usual bowling game.

It will be understood that, the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are illustrative and not restrictive and that various modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the accompanying claims.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: v

1. A game apparatus comprising a support, a series of pms pivotally mounted thereon having their axes converging toward one another, one or more of said pins being adapted to be upset by a projectile impinging upon the converging end or ends.

2. A game apparatus comprising a sup port having a central annular opening, a series of pins pivotally mounted upon said support with their upper ends converging upwardly and radially, whereby one or more of said pins may be upset by a projectile impinging upon the upper end.

3. A game apparatus comprising a support, a series of pins, means carried by said support pivotally connected to said pins intermediate their ends and normally supporting the same with the upper ends converging, each of said pins being provided with movable counterbalancing means adapted to shift the center of gravity of the pin from one side of the pivot to the other when the pin is upset and to retain said pin in upset position.

4:. A game apparatus comprising a support, a series of pins, means carried by said support pivotally connected to said pins intermediate their ends and normally supporting the same with the up er ends converging, each of said pins being provided with an internal chamber and a counterweight movably mounted in said chamber adapted to shift the center of gravity of the pin from one side of the pivot to the other, whereby the pin when upset will remain in upset position and when restored to normal position be retained in said position.

5. A game apparatus comprising a support, a series of pins, means carried by said support pivotally connecting to said pins intermediate their ends and normally supporting the same with the upper ends converging, each of said pins being provided with an internal chamber and a series of balls in said chamber adapted to shift the center of gravity of the pin from one side of the pivot to the other, whereby the pin when upset will remain in upset position and when restored to normal position be retained in said position.

6. A game apparatus comprising a support, a series of pins pivotally mounted thereon with their upper ends converging upwardly and radially, whereby one or more may be upset by a projectile impinging upon said upper end, a central target, and means operable when said central target is struck by the projectileto upset all of said pins.

7. A game apparatus comprising a support, a series of pins pivotally mounted thereon with their upper ends converging upwardly and radially, whereby one or more may be upset by a projectile imping ing upon said upper end, a central target, a spring actuated pin upsetting member normally tending to upset all the pins, means connected to said target for retaining said upsetting member in inoperative position but adapted to be released when the central target is struck by the projectile, whereby the upsetting member will be caused by its springs to upset all of said pins.

8. A game apparatus comprising a sup port, a series of pins pivotally mounted thereon with their upper ends converging upwardly and radially, whereby one or more may be upset by a projectile impinging upon said upper end, a central target comprising a pivotally mounted post, a platform having an aperture receiving said post, springs acting normally to raise said platform, and means carried by said platform underlying the lower ends of said pins and adapted, when the platform is raised by its springs, to upset said pins, and means on said target post for locking said platform in depressed position, but adapted when said target is struck by the projectile to release said platform, whereby the latter acting under the influence of its springs will upset all of said pins.

In testimony whereof, we have names to this specification.

GEORGE G. BULFINCH, JR. FRANCIS V. BULFINCH.

signed our Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Yatents, Washington, D. G. 

